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Second from left is wearing a Model 1907 rifle cartridge belt, with revolver holster on the right side [probably a Model 1909 .45 revolver], and third from left is wearing a Model 1909 revolver cartridge belt. The remainder of the troops are wearing the enlisted men's leather garrison belt, and all troops are wearing Model 1902 khaki cotton service uniforms. It was typical of National Guard units to get older, and in some cases, obsolete, equipment and uniforms, well into the 1960s. Awesome photo showing this early 20th century gear up close and personal.

The two definitely are wearing sidearms. The swivels, so prominent on military pistols of the era, can clearly be seen. Remember that these guys are not regular Army but National Guard. This is not to disparage the NG, but to reflect the state or district funding that often resulted in different patterns of equipment in use concurrently.

Sort of a sloppy outfit. Each bugler has on a different belt. One's tunic is not completely buttoned. Tassels (or whatever they are called) are placed differently on each bugle. The guy in the middle rear must be a young Smiley Burnett (only an old guy like me would know who that was) with the placement of his hat. But, all in all, a great picture.

The equipment budget for the pre-Great War military most probably was quite small, which would explain the mishmash of belts on our lads. I see three different styles. And what's up with the soldier dead center, whose belt is slung waaay low on his right? He seems to have a holstered handgun (the butt is right above the mouthpiece of the bugle in front of him), worn backwards so he can draw it with his left hand. The only other explanation I can think of is that he's the guidon bearer and what looks like a gun holster actually is a holder for a flag staff. The guy immediately to his right (third dude from the left) appears to have a holstered weapon on his belt, but up high, military fashion.

Shorpy.com | History in HD is a vintage photo archive featuring thousands of high-definition images from the 1850s to 1960s. (Available as fine-art prints from the Shorpy Archive.) The site is named after Shorpy Higginbotham, a teenage coal miner who lived 100 years ago.